A Dark Place
by Reanna15146
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki- aka, a famous mass murderer, Kyuubi- is finally caught and sent to prison. There he meets Sasuke Uchiha, a mystery in the prison. The story unfolds as Naruto works to decode the raven man, while trying to hide his own secrets that could change the way the world viewed itself.
1. The Fox Got Bagged

"Crap." Naruto muttered as he looked out at the mass of murderers, thugs, and rapists. He'd just been entered into the prison and it just so happened to be lunch time. Prisoners were mulling around. They ate at tables or in corners or were standing in something Naruto could veighly describe as a line for their food.

His officer, Kakashi something-or-other, nudged him in the leg slightly, urging him forward.

The blonde swallowed and took a hesitant step. Satisfied with the lack of reaction, he took another, and another, until he was behind the line/mob. He was behind a large man with coco brown hair that seemed to be parted in two directions.

The man shoveled food onto his tray and the ladies behind the counter stopped putting food up until he left.

Naruto picked up a gray tray and decided on a plate of what could have once been fish. It was a white/brown mush with silver specs that he thought to be slivers of scale. He added a bottle of water and turned to the prisoners, wondering if he should chance a table or just go to a corner as others did.

When he was about to step over to a wall, someone grabbed him from behind. He whipped around, locking the larger male in goose-neck behind his back with one hand.

"Whoa whoa woah! Take it easy, man! I just figured I'd give ya a seat at our table!" He said, smiling.

Naruto paused before releasing the other male.

The stranger stood up with a wolfish grin. He had dark brown hair spiked up with gel- much like the blonde's own- and obviously sharpened K-9's. Two red triangle tattoos went from the top of his cheeks down to below his mouth, much like fangs. He sported one of the prison's classic uniforms. He chose a black wifebeater with a light gray jacket and dark gray pants. "I'm Kiba." He said, and then seemed to size up the newcomer.

Naruto had just chosen a red wifebeater with a black jacket, belt, and pants. The jacket was open, revealing a slimmer of crimson. A pale blue gem rested on his chest, hanging from a thin silver chain. "I'm...Naruto." The blonde responded, gripping the outstretched hand tightly.

"Well, _Naruto,_ you wanna sit with me and the guys? I promise none of us are rapists."

"Sounds good to me." He said, shifting to his left foot.

"Come on." Kiba led him to a table half full of guys. He introduced him to Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, Sai, Lee, and Neji. They were all thieves or minor murderers. "So," Kiba inquired. "What are you in for?"

A thick silence filled the table as they waited for his answer. "I...Uh..."

"Come on, spit it out!" Neji snapped, and Lee elbowed him in the side.

"I, uh...I'm a murderer." Brief enough.

But apparently Kiba had hated him in a past life. "How many? I killed two." _Damn._

"Uh..." His voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "T-two thousand fifty-eight."

There was silence all around the table and a few tables around theirs. Others had obviously been eavesdropping.

"DANG!" Lee hollered. "That's even more than Sai! So what'd cha do it for, Naruto?" He asked, sitting back down after his rise in the air.

"Well, it was my job."

"So you were a mindless thug?" Neji spat.

"No way in Hell." The blonde assured. "I worked for an actual company. We got busted. Ever hear about that assassination in Suna? That Shiro-whatever guy. Found dead in the tub. Blood was in a bunch of glass jars and a wooden stake was through his heart." He let it sink in.

"Y-you did that? Man that's freaky! You're a freak! I had no idea you were insane, go to another table!" Kiba demanded.

Naruto laughed dryly. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't want to do that. Gross as Hell. But the boss wanted some real publicity for that one. He said to be creative and make it gory." He shrugged. "I watched a vamp movie."

They all sat in horrified/amazed silence. Then Sai grinned, actually opening his eyes for once. "How horrifying. But then again, I'd expect no less from _Kyuubi_."

"Kyuubi?" Shikamaru questioned, standing with his hands on the table. "Kyuubi-The Demon of Fire?"

Naruto sunk down in his head, nodding meekly.

Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief and half-gaped at the blonde before him. "They called you the nine-tailed fox. Every time they thought they'd caught you, it was a trick. Murder, assassination, thievery, assault, threats, stalking, heists... You did just about everything." He explained to the others, being an ex-cop.

"Hey, I never raped or sexually harassed anyone!" The blonde objected.

"Wait a minute!" Kiba growled, balling his fists on the table. "I thought you said you were just in for murder!"

"They couldn't prove anything else." Naruto said, laying his head on his arms mournfully.

The others relaxed then.

"I'm quite interested," Neji voiced, "as to why you look so regretful."

Naruto turned to him, face contorted in fury, voice low. "What, you think I _liked_ doing all that shit?! No way in Hell! You've got no idea what it feels like to kill people like cattle. What it's like to-" He was stopped by a spoon-full of mush.

Sai held the other end, grinning. "Now, now. We assassins mustn't tell all of our secrets, can we? It would give our dear friends nightmares. especially _your_ story. Just the rumors of your training, small tidbits, have given even me terrors to behold." His eyes slitted open, grin turning into an amused smirk. "You'll have to set me straight sometime. However, I doubt...purer, people could handle it quite as well." Sai let go of the spoon, sitting back down beside the blonde murderer.

Naruto took the silver utensil out of his mouth, wincing as it was pulled out of the back of his throat. "Damn. You shouldn't be so rough with newcomers..._Ink._"

The black-haired man whipped his head around, face blank.

"Yes, I remember a few rumors from the juniors. A man who killed one extra person after each assault. The first time he killed 2. The next three. The next four. All the way up to over six hundred people. No weapons, no obvious motive. Yet you always left a distinct mark- a white canvas with a black ink painting on it. Each picture seemed random, but each was completely different." He smiled defiantly down at the older man. "It peaked my interest, when I was new in the company. So I looked into it. I figured out that each man was accused of rape or sexual harassment and managed to squirm out of it. Even a few of our guys. You were after justice. As they say, the path to Hell is paved with good intentions." His eyes gleamed. "But I must really thank you, Sai. Figuring out that little mystery of yours got me a promotion- from back-up to level 1 investigator."

Sai leered up at him. "I get the feeling that's not very high-ranking. Are you sure you should be so proud?"

"Of course. After all, that was my first step to where I am today."

"And what is that?"

He smirked knowingly over at the older man. "A demon."

They both leered at each other for a while, neither man really willing to back down from the silent challenge.

"All right, all right!" Kiba huffed, pulling them apart. "Stop it! Look, the guards are coming over!"

And, indeed, they were.

Kakashi put his hands on his hips, sighing disappointedly down at the blonde. "Naruto, I thought I'd told you to behave yourself. I swear, of all they guys involved in the bust, you were the most compliant. You were polite, a tenth truthful, respectful, did what you were told. I thought you could hold off fighting for at least a _day_." He frowned, scratching the back of his head.

Another guard, this one with black hair and bright green eyes, slightly hid behind the taller man. "Kakashi!" He scorned. "Don't tick him off! You know who he is!"

Kakashi grinned, stepping aside to let full view of the man show. "Yes, however he's a better man than most of the dirtbag cops crawlin' around here. Ain't that right, Naru-chan?" He said, wrapping a playful arm around the blonde's neck.

"Hey! Get off!" Naruto ordered, trying desperately to escape the silver-headed man's hold. He finally managed to duck under the arm and ran to the other side of the table, behind Kiba, who had already moved across the table to avoid attention. "Aw, man, help me! Dude's creeping me out!" He begged.

Kiba shook his head. "No way, man. The guards get an interest in you, you stay FAR away from me!" He slipped past, down beside Shino and Choji.

"Aw, here that, Naru-chan? Your friend approves of our relationship!" Kakashi called, thoroughly enjoying teasing the blonde. He ran towards him, arms outstretched as if awaiting a hug.

"Back off!" Naruto jumped over the table, running away from him.

By now, the whole cafeteria was watching them from anything varying from humor to jealousy to annoyance.

"Awwwwwwww!" Kakashi called, grinning.

But just then, the doors slammed open, revealing a tall raven with ebony irises. He wore a white wifebeater under a white jacket and black pants. His handsome face was twisted into a snarl. "What the Hell's going on down here?! I can't sleep with all this racket!"

The whole room seemed to go cold at the presence of the man.

Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly, trying to figure out what was so scary about him. He looked rather scrawney to the blonde, if he was honest with himself.

"Aw crap." Kiba muttered.

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he turned to him.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha. No one knows what he's in for, but he's killed six guys since he's been in here and his family's got major influence outside.

"Uchiha...I think I've met an Uchiha once. But that was Madara Uchiah. Perverted fucker, if you ask me." He looked back over to see said raven leering at him.

Sasuke strutted over to the newcomer. Kabuto had just told him about the blonde man-and about who he REALLY was.

Stopping less than two feet away, he shifted his weight to his right foot, hands in his pockets. "So. You're the fast-famous murderer, Kyuubi? Why do I find that hard to believe? You're smaller than me!"

"Hey Naruto." The blonde turned to where his officer stood a few feet away, hand on his taser. "No one cares if you beat the crap out of this one." His frown twitched. "Then again, you'll probably only fight if provoked, or challenged with...career dominance." He added, glancing quickly over at Sai and back to Sasuke.

"Provoked, hu? What, you think he can do something?" He raised his hand and slapped the blonde across the face, leaving a red mark. He smirked as no revolt was made.

"Bye bye." Sai muttered under his breath.

As if on cue, Naruto slipped his fist down to stomach level and pinned his thumb into a pressure point in the taller male's side. "I'd call that provocation." He whispered. When he looked up, his eyes were tinted with bloodlust, though his features were calm. "I wouldn't go around striking people without purpose. You could get hurt." He said as he twisted his thumb into the point.

Sasuke hissed in pain and backed away from the blonde, holding his side with one hand. "You're a dead man walking." He hissed and ran out of the cafeteria, his fifteen or so underlings following.

All around him, the silence dragged on and on.

And then Sai came up behind the blonde, patting him on the shoulder. "I'd expect no less from one such as yourself." He smirked. "That sweet personality of yours may be real, but it means next to nothing when compared to pride and dominance. I look forward to talking with you, _Uzumaki_." And with that, the raven padded off through another pair of double doors, leaving the rest of them in an awkward silence.

* * *

"Naruto."

Said blonde turned at the mention of his name, blinking tiredly.

Turns out, it was Kiba, flanked by a certain warden- one that made Naruto nervous.

"Naru-chan!" Kakashi called out animatedly. "How have you been?!"

_'Invisible face-palm.'_ The blonde thought to himself. "Hatake, I just saw you ten minutes ago." He reminded him, resisting the urge to hide behind his canine-like friend.

"Oh, I guess you're right." The silverette admitted, smiling through his mask. "I just came to tell you that your roommate will be Sai, considering you'd both probably end up killing any other roommates after who-knows-how-long. Figured it be the best situation. And Naru-chan! Guess what? I just bought you a-"

"Kaakaashiiiii!" A voice came bellowing down the hall. A man then came around the corner. He was a tan brunette, slightly shorter than the silver flirt, wearing the guard's uniform much more...uniformly than the other man. A long scar ran from one side of his face to the other, evenly across his nose.

And he was mad.

"Oh, Iruka! How are you?!"

Iruka grimaced. "_Please_ tell me you didn't ACTUALLY buy that _thing_ for a _human being_!" He shivered. "Don't do it. You'll probably traumatize the poor guy!"

Naruto looked up at the stranger, thoroughly confused. "What do you mean? What is it?"

Kiba just shook his head, taking a few not-so-subtle steps away from them.

But Naruto was quick and instantly noticed the action. "Kiba..."

"I ain't sayin it out loud, man!" And he ran down the hall, most likely to his cell.

After a moment of akward silence, Kakashi turned to his favorite prisoner. "So, Naruto! You wanna see what I got for you?!"

"...No." And he started running down the hall, looking for some one he knew so they could direct him to Sai's cell. He heard Kakashi's mournful cries following him past countless cells.

"Naruto...Where are you going?" The blonde barely heard the muttered question, but stopped in his tracks in front of the source.

He was in front of an average cell that had familiar occupants. Kiba was passed out on the top bunk and Shino stood in the corner, looking at the blonde before him.

"Oh, Shino! Hey, do you know where Sai's cell is? I'm roomed with him." There was a few moments of silence before the dark-haired man spoke.

"Ah...Yes." And he walked away.

Naruto followed hastily behind the taller man, struggling to keep up with the brisk pace. Just as he was contemplating breaking out in a run, Shino stopped.

They were at another cell a few halls away, identical to all the other ones. This one had large ink paintings all over the walls, and ink supplies in one corner, opposite the toilet. On the bottom bunk was an extra uniform identical to his, a bible, a pillow, and a blanket. On the top one was none other than Sai himself.

Shino then started walking back to his own cell at the same brisk pace.

"Uh, thanks, Shino!" Naruto called out to the retreating figure, earning a small nod over the shoulder. He then walked into the cell, climbing slightly so his head was level with the figure reading out of the bible on the top bunk. "Hey Sai. I'm your new roomate...or cellmate, or whatever. Guess they think we'll kill anyone else. Kinda funny, in its own way."

He then climbed back down and stashed his extra uniform and bible between the wall and the bed. He was tired, but doubted he could fall asleep. There was just something intimidating about being in a prison for the first time, even for him. He sighed, laying back on his pillow with his hands behind his head. He sat there for a while, just listening to the bickering of other prisoners nearby.

Then the screaming started.


	2. Something Warm

_**-Guest chapter 1 . 23h ago**_

_**pairings for this and the other one?**_

_ ummm...I'm not sure what you mean by that. But this is primarily a NaruSasu fic, but there will be a bit of one-sided GaaNaru. Tell me what you want to know a bit more clearly, and I'll have a better answer! ^,^_

_**-Narutopokefan chapter 1 . Mar 27**_

_**Love this storyso far ! Wonder who's screaming ? Please update soon bye**_

_ Well, I think I answered your question!_

* * *

_**Then the screaming started.**_

* * *

Naruto jumped out of bed and leapt towards the open bars of his cell. He turned for only a moment to see Sai had fallen asleep and hadn't awoken to the sound. Another, louder scream made him turn back to the rail-lined halls and run down them, towards the crowd that had gathered at one of the intersections (RTN 1). He slowly made his way through the crowd to see what was going on.

He finally, through much cursing as bruised sides, managed to get to the front of the group. Sasuke Uchiha stood in the narrow intersection, surrounded by his groupies and smirking down at something. Upon closer inspection, the blonde saw that is was another inmate, hanging upside-down from the rails by his shoelaces. Another ear-splitting scream mad him wince and rush over to them.

Naruto immediately shoved most of the groupies aside and made his way to the man. He reached down to pull him up, when a hand wrenched his shoulder back, turning him to face the Uchiha. "Move." The raven hissed.

Naruto growled lowly in the back of his throat and punched him square in the jaw. Sasuke went flying backwards into one of his lackies. The blonde's knuckled stung from the blow and he suspected they were bleeding, but he brushed it from his mind and rushed back over to the hanging victim. He pulled him up by the front of his shirt and kept one arm wrapped around him as he untied the laces. When the blonde finished, he moved to back away from the man, but the dark-haired inmate clung to his jacket, shivering like a kitten in the rain.

Naruto didn't really know what to do, so he just stood there as the stranger's trembling subsided to the occasional shiver. He carefully pried the man's fingers from his cloths and took a step back, walking him over to a more open -and safe- part of the hall. At first, he though he was looking at a girl. The man had very dark brown hair that grew to his mid-back and big, brown, girlish eyes. His uniform was a white wifebeater, a dark gray jacket, and black pants. His face held the helplessness and innocence of a young girl. And he was bawling like one, too.

"Uhhh..."

"Aww... The big _Kyuubi_ fall in love?" A voice mocked.

The blonde turned to snarl at Sasuke. Then he let his face ease into a small smirk. "Wow, being in prison turn you the other way, _Uchiha_? It must have for you to be looking at things that way." His eyes sparkled with hidden mirth, and his smirk grew at the appalled look that crossed the raven's face.

"Hardly, _fox._" He ground out. "I'm not some dirty faggot. You, on the other hand, quite look the part." He began to circle the two inmates, an eyebrow twitching at the fact that only Naruto's eyes followed him. He much preferred petrified, jumpy targets, like the dark-haired man the blonde was protecting. "Just look at you, flashy uniform, that _awful_ bleached hair, and just look- you're protecting your little faggot bitch." His fist took a swipe at the girlish boy's shoulder, but something went wrong.

Something that had only happened once before.

Naruto twisted the arm in his hand at a nasty-looking angle, licking his lips at the cry of pain, muffled because the raven kept his lips locked closed. He pushed the thinner man to his knees and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "I told you, didn't I? Doing things like that can get you-" A twist, a _pop_, and a sharp cry-"_hurt_." The blonde released his torturous hold and took a step back, straightening his spine.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was doing just the opposite. He curled in slightly on himself in pain, cradling his arm to his chest. He knew what that "pop" had meant- his shoulder had been torn from its socket. He lifted only his face to glare up at the blonde responsible for his pain. Looking up at the muscular man, he felt the expected hate,bloodlust, humiliation, but there was something else, something...warm.

'_No! What am I thinking?! There's nothing warm in me for this fool! Only cold, hard hate!_' He growled at himself, hissing as the vibrations shifted his shoulder ever-so-slightly.

The blonde stared coldly back down at him. He stared down with a look in his eyes Sasuke had never seen on any human being in his life. He recalled a time in his childhood that reminded him, faintly, of the look. It was when he was six years old and had gone out hunting with his father and older brother. They'd been hunting deer, when they'd stumbled across a wolf pack's den. Five adult wolves and three pups had been outside, around the den. The largest male- an enormous red beast with fangs reaching past it's jaws- had immediately lept protectively in front of the others and bared his saber fangs. Sasuke remembered those eyes- savage, bloodthirsty and unhesitating, yet loving and focused, all at the same time. It was obvious that the wolf hadn't wanted a fight- though he'd quite obviously protect his pack- and they weren't about to force one on him.

The eyes boring challengingly down at him now reminded him quite clearly of that wolf. And Sasuke decided the best route- though his pride screamed its complaints- was to react in the same way. He lowered his face away from the blonde, watching through the corner of his eye as the black shoes shifted and then walked away. He lifted his eyes to watch as the blonde strode triumphantly away, a small, girlish brunette at his heels.

**Kay, I know this is short, but I'll try to have the next one up soon. **

**Fyi, RTN- Refer to notes**

**(RTN1) I don't know much about prisons, but in a letter when I was little, my dad told me there were upper-floor hallways lining the cells that had short passes between them. Just think of it as an H. It's kinda like that.**

**Well, that's it. I'm out!**


	3. A New Friend and A New Feeling

**Loveyounaruto** _Well, you'll see who he is in just a sec. Keep yur panties on. And Gaara's on his way, I assure you._

**Puppyprincess**_ You're welcome and thank you! ^,^_

Naruto stormed off to his cell, the girlish boy hot on his heels. When he fell onto his bunk, the other knelt beside it, staring admirably up at him. The blonde turned his exhausted eyes on him. "So... What the hell did ya do to them for them to do that?"

The brunette looked sheepishly to the ground. "W-well..." He peeked up at the blonde, and, seeing no anger or unkindness, whispered, "It's not exactly a secret that I'm... Zabuza's..." He trailed off, unable to make himself complete the sentence. His head hung low in embarrassment, waiting for the usual ridicule.

Naruto knew what the smaller man meant without having to hear it. "So you're his bitch, hu? Or is it more intimate? I don't wanna offend you or anything."

The brunette's head slowly rose to look at the blonde that was staring lazily at him. He seemed tired. He didn't know why the stranger didn't seem bothered by his orientations, but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. Instead, he smiled warmly. "I'm Haku. What's your name?" He leaned forward slightly, happy to have met someone so friendly and accepting.

Naruto grinned back at the smaller man-he seemed nice for a guy in prison. "Naruto Uzumaki. So, you need me to take you to your cell, or this ... Zabuza, or something?" He offered, tilting his head to the side.

Haku's smile widened slightly. The blonde looked to him like a puppy. A bright, happy, golden puppy. "No. Do you mind if I stay here for a bit? Zabuza will probably be here soon to get me."

"Sure. You can come over whenever you want. Just don't mess with Sai up there. He's creepy and could do God knows what." Naruto grinned at the rustling he heard above him.

"Don't tarnish my good name, _Naru-chan_."

Naruto gaped at the bonk above him. "How _dare_ you! From this day forward, I set a procipation-"

"proclamation." Sai corrected with a smirk.

"Shut up! I set a proclamation that if anyone dares call me by that disgusting name, I'll rip their balls out and shove them down their throat!" He declared triumphantly, lifting his chin.

Sia leaned over the side of the bed to give the blonde one of his trademark creepy smiles. "Okay, _No-dick_."

The blonde fumed in his bunk. "You-"

"Haku?"

They all turned to the entrance to the cell, where a rather large man was standing. He had all-black pants and wife-beater, and gray bandages were wrapped around his lower face and forearms. There was no jacket. His hair stood up in a crooked, spiky mess. He waited patiently as Haku stood and walked over to him, then looked curiously at Naruto. "Who are you?"

Naruto smiled thinly. Something about this man made him a bit nervous. "Naruto Uzumaki. And you're Zabuza, I'm guessing?"

Zabuza nodded and walked out of the cell, Haku following close behind. The girlish man only stopped briefly to wave at Naruto and say he'd come to hang out sometime before hurrying along.

Naruto stood and walked over to the edge of the bars. "Hey, Zabuza!"

The large man paused and tilted his head in acknowledgement of his name. "Take better care of Haku. I don't like it when my friends get harassed like today." He said with a smile, but his voice made the warning clear.

Zabuza turned to place a steady gaze on the blonde, then muttered something no one in the prison had heard from him before. "Thanks." Then he started on his way again.

Naruto smiled and walked back into his cell, plopping down into his bed.

Sai grunted above him. "You trust people too easily, Kyuubi-san." He said softly in his slick voice.

The blonde stiffened. "Call me whatever you want, Sai, but not that. Anything but that." His voice was no more than a forced whisper.

"Why? It's what you are."

Naruto turned on his side to face the wall. "I'm more than a murderer."

Sai's eyes opened slowly to see his scribbles on the ceiling. "None of us are anything but murderers at this point, Naruto. You'll never be able to smile properly until you accept that."

"Better no smile than a fake one."

Sai, for the first time in a long while, had nothing to say.

"Naru-chaaaaannnnnnn~!"

The blonde froze the moment he awoke. _'I sense evil in the air...'_ He though forbodingly.

Right on cue, a certain silver-haired guard stepped in front of the locked bars. He had a lazy smile on his face and a set of keys jangling on the tip of his finger. "Hey, Naruto-chan. I never got to give you my present yesterday, did I?"

The blonde gulped and sunk slowly under his sheets.

A laugh sounded above him. "Geeze, you really are dickless, Dickless. Afraid of a little guard?"

The blonde growled deep in his throat. "No, I'm afraid of a perverted man with a baton and full legal reign over me." He snapped, and gave an involuntary shiver. "I fear the man with all my heart and soul."

Kakashi grinned wider and unlocked the bars. "Come on, Naru-chan. Tell you what- I'll give it to you later. It's time for breakfast." He slid the barred door open with just a bit of difficulty, grunting almost inaudibly. When it was open wide enough for them to step through, he moved to the side and motioned them onto the platform hall. Other guards were doing the same at other cells, working their way down the isles. "Go on ahead to the cafeteria. I've got more work." He held a small pout as the blonde hurriedly scurried off, the inky man following at a more comfortable pace.

Naruto passed into the large cafeteria and looked around, trying to locate the group he'd met the day before. Zoning in on Kiba at one of the numerous long tables, he walked at a leisurely pace to the line, which was shorter than before. Despite his luck at arriving earlier than most, a bitter taste settled on the back of his tongue as he stepped into the place behind a grumpy-looking raven.

Sasuke turned around to look at the man who had, not even a day before, sent him crashing to his knees. And he did nothing more. His Uchiha blood screamed at his to attack. He was still. His pride made his lips quiver in the hopes of forcing a shout. He was silent. Every part of his being told him to move, thrash out, respond. Every part of his _body_ was completely frozen in place. _'What is this...?'_ He wondered numbly. As he stood there in line, watching as the uncomfortable blonde began to fidget, something began crawling up his spine, something hot and teasing.

Brushing his discomfort off, the raven shifted to his other foot, pulling his Uchiha smirk firmly in place. "What is it, _Dobe_? You seem uncomfortable." He licked the corner of his lips as he waited for a reaction.

Naruto forced his shoulders to relax. He'd been expecting outright rage from Sasuke, not this cool, collected attitude. It kind of irked him.

"Oh, nothing, _Ego-Bitch (AN/Ya, he went there lol)_. Just the usual feeling a man gets when staring at a pile of shit. What's so unusual about it?" He asked innocently, batting his eyelashes obnoxiously.

Sasuke inwardly snickered. He rather liked their playful banter, though he'd never let it on to anyone. He didn't know why, but the stress between them from yesterday seemed to have dissolved, leaving behind the wake of what could be an entertaining relationship. "Amazing, isn't it? It's like the start of an elementary poem: Shit talks shit by calling gold shit. A couple more verses and a good title, and you're set to turn it in." He smirked as the blonde growled.

Naruto was interrupted from spouting a probably humiliating retort by an excited Haku running up to him. The blonde acknowledged Zabuza sitting a rather close by at an almost-empty table with a small nod in his direction.

Haku smiled brightly at his newly acquired friend. "Naruto. I saw you in line and thought I'd invite you over to our cell later today. Zabuza has a set of cards and I'm sure he'd let us use them." The brunette invited, tilting his head slightly to the side, oblivious to the menacing glare being sent his way from one steaming Uchiha.

Naruto grinned ear-to-ear and nodded happily. "Sure! That means I can escape that damn perv for a while!" At Haku's questioning gaze, the blonde blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uuh, you don't wanna know. Trust me on this one."

Haku was still confused, but decided not to question him. "Well, come over after breakfast if you'd like. Zabuza's friend might be over then, though, so they could be using the cards."

Naruto couldn't quite picture in his head what the tall man's friend could look like. "No problem. If they are, I'll just come around later." He shrugged his shoulders and turned. They'd all reached the food station while they talked, and the line had grown a mighty amount behind him.

The pair said their partings and the girlish man left, leaving the blonde to get his food- Some form of lumpy porrage, a piece of soggy toast, and a cup of plain coffee.

Sasuke watched quietly as the blonde bounced off to sit beside a man that mildly resembled a dog. He was irritated to no end that the man called '_Haku_' had interrupted his teasing, but decided to leave it be. The Uchiha was making his way to his usual table when a loud banging sounded across the room, loud as a shotgun.

Mostly everyone in the room turned to the two doors that led to the guard offices. The sound had been the backs of the doors banging against the walls as they were thrown harshly open. Through the opening the doors made walked two guards, apparently escorting someone. Sasuke moved a bit closer, tray still in hand, to get a better look at the newcomer. The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with cherry-red hair that fell in a spiky mess around his head, reminding many of a certain blonde firecracker's tangled nest. He wore a white wife-beater under a black jacket and black pants. What really caught Sasuke's attention, however, were his eyes. The man's eyes were an unnameable color between cyan and green, filled with such a cold, sharp hatred that even the great Sasuke Uchiha felt his fight-or-flight instinct kicking in.

Now that's fucked up.

Sasuke glanced a few feet off at the blonde, who was gazing at the new redhead in what Sasuke could only define as childlike wonder. Growling, he stomped off to his usual table, not-so-subtlly bumping Naruto's shoulder on the way. He just couldn't understand why he was so damn irritated. He should be happy that the blonde was distracted by the newcomer- mabey now he could do as he pleased without getting the royal shit beat out of him. Grumbling bitterly, he sat his tray on the table and took a seat.

The other men at the table immediately started their usual senseless blabber, but Kabuto gave his Uchiha leader a rather strange look. "Something wrong, Sasuke?" He questioned with a serious, yet slightly curious face. He let his hand tap absent-mindedly on the gray table, a clear sign of his deep thought.

Sasuke blinked at the man for a moment, not sure how to answer. Then he turned to his unappetizing food with a grumbled "No." He picked at the porridge sloshing around in the bowl like hot tar in the sun. "Where's everyone?" He asked boredly, noting the lack of people at their table.

The silver-haired man gave an exasperated sigh. "There was a fight this morning in the first block. A lot of the guys were bloodied up by that psycho Zabuza." He have a pointed glare at the raven man across the room, then shivered as he saw the man shift in his seat, as if he could sense the gaze at his back. "Anyways, a few guys won't be out of the infirmary for a while." He stared at his tapping hand for a moment before it stopped suddenly and he looked up at his leader. "So what were you talking about with the Kyuubi?"

The raven stiffened for a split second before relaxing once again. What could he have to be worried about? "Nothing, really. Just trying to rile him up a bit, I guess. He gets under my skin."

Kabuto nodded, but didn't blink, keeping his eyes trained on the Uchiha for an uncomfortable amount of time before he turned and started randomly talking to the man next to him.

Sasuke blinked at the side of the man's head. What was that all about, anyway?

Naruto stopped outside the cell and called in "Haku, Zabuza! Anyone home?"

There was a bit of shuffling and Haku stepped out, giving the blonde a gentle smile. "Hi, Naruto. Come on in." He stepped back into the cell, motioning him to follow past the curtain -aka sheet- that covered behind the bars.

Naruto let himself glance quickly around the room- bunk-beds, a toilet in the wall, and a small table- to see it was identical to his own. Zabuza was at the table, cards in hand, playing with some guy with bright blonde hair.

"Yelooo~" The stranger sang, turning to the shorter blonde. "I'm Deidara! Haku-chan told us about you! Saved 'im from the Big Bad Uchiha, hu?" He purred with a grin that could rival Naruto's own.

Naruto tilted his head with a small smile. "Since when is _he_ big and bad? The guy's pathetic." The blonde moved and plopped down on the bottom bunk with a _'clank!'_. "Why's everyone so afraid of that teme?"

Haku and Deidara suddenly became rather fidgety, and Zabuza kept messing with the cards.

"Well..." Haku started. "To _most_ people, he's pretty dangerous. He's scary strong and sadistic. Plus no one knows why he's in here. Sure, there are plenty of rumours, but what can really be believed out of all that nonsense?"

Naruto tilted his head. What was so scary about Sasuke? The guy was strong, sure, but there were plenty of guys in the prison that were most likely twice as strong. That wasn't any reason to fear him like most of the prisoners seemed to. What could he possibly-

_**'CRASH'**_

Ooooohhhhhhhh cliffhanger. Again. I like them, can ya tell? Anyways, sorry for the 2-month wait. I never promised to be quick (at least I don't think I did). I went through surgery recently and have been recovering steadily. I'm mostly better, so I did this. BP I know, I suck. Well, thanks for reading, R&R, and know that reviews make me update faster! ^,^


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